George Catlin’s American Buffalo

12.05.2017(Friday) —06.08.2017 (Sunday)

George Catlin was among the earliest artists of European descent to travel beyond the Mississippi River to record what he called the “manners and customs” of American Indians, painting scenes and portraits from life. His intention was to document these native cultures before, as he feared, they were irrevocably altered by settlement of the frontier and the mass migrations forced by the Indian Removal Act of 1830. On his trips, Catlin recorded the massive herds of buffalo that roamed the Great Plains of the American West. In chronicling the lifeways of Plains Indian cultures, he captured the central importance of the buffalo in the daily lives of American Indian tribes, from food and shelter to ceremony and naming.George Catlin was among the earliest artists of European descent to travel beyond the Mississippi River to record what he called the “manners and customs” of American Indians, painting scenes and portraits from life. His intention was to document these native cultures before, as he feared, they were irrevocably altered by settlement of the frontier and the mass migrations forced by the Indian Removal Act of 1830. On his trips, Catlin recorded the massive herds of buffalo that roamed the Great Plains of the American West. In chronicling the lifeways of Plains Indian cultures, he captured the central importance of the buffalo in the daily lives of American Indian tribes, from food and shelter to ceremony and naming.Publication

A catalogue accompanies the exhibition, with an essay and entries on each artwork in the exhibition by Adam Duncan Harris, the Petersen Curator of Art and Research at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. The book is published by the Smithsonian American Art Museum in association with D Giles Limited, London. It is available for purchase online for $49.95 (hardcover only).National TourGeorge Catlin’s American Buffalo traveled to seven cities across the United States in 2014–2015.National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming (May 10, 2013 – August 25, 2013)Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Springs, California (October 1, 2013 – December 29, 2013) Wichita Art Museum in Wichita, Kansas (February 1, 2014 – May 11, 2014) C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana (May 31, 2014 – Sept. 14, 2014) Mennello Museum of American Art in Orlando, Florida (October 4, 2014 – January 1, 2015) Reynolda House Museum of American Art in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (February 13, 2015 – May 3, 2015) Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, Texas (May 30, 2015 – August 30, 2015)CreditGeorge Catlin’s American Buffalo is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum in collaboration with the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Generous support for the exhibition has been provided by Mary Anne and Richard W. Cree, and Lynn and Foster Friess. Additional support for the exhibition and the publication was provided by the William R. Kenan Jr. Endowment Fund and the Smithsonian Council for American Art. Support for Treasures to Go, the Museum’s traveling exhibition program, comes from The C.F. Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia.

George Catlin’s American BuffaloSmithsonian American Art Museum Main address:
Smithsonian American Art MuseumWells Fargo Center8th and G Sts NWDC 20004Washington, Smithsonian American Art MuseumWells Fargo Center8th and G Sts NWDC 20004Washington, 2017-05-122017-08-06George Catlin was among the earliest artists of European descent to travel beyond the Mississippi River to record what he called the “manners and customs” of American Indians, painting scenes and portraits from life. His intention was to document these native cultures before, as he feared, they were irrevocably altered by settlement of the frontier and the mass migrations forced by the Indian Removal Act of 1830. On his trips, Catlin recorded the massive herds of buffalo that roamed the Great Plains of the American West. In chronicling the lifeways of Plains Indian cultures, he captured the central importance of the buffalo in the daily lives of American Indian tribes, from food and shelter to ceremony and naming.George Catlin was among the earliest artists of European descent to travel beyond the Mississippi River to record what he called the “manners and customs” of American Indians, painting scenes and portraits from life. His intention was to document these native cultures before, as he feared, they were irrevocably altered by settlement of the frontier and the mass migrations forced by the Indian Removal Act of 1830. On his trips, Catlin recorded the massive herds of buffalo that roamed the Great Plains of the American West. In chronicling the lifeways of Plains Indian cultures, he captured the central importance of the buffalo in the daily lives of American Indian tribes, from food and shelter to ceremony and naming.Publication

A catalogue accompanies the exhibition, with an essay and entries on each artwork in the exhibition by Adam Duncan Harris, the Petersen Curator of Art and Research at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. The book is published by the Smithsonian American Art Museum in association with D Giles Limited, London. It is available for purchase online for $49.95 (hardcover only).National TourGeorge Catlin’s American Buffalo traveled to seven cities across the United States in 2014–2015.National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming (May 10, 2013 – August 25, 2013)Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Springs, California (October 1, 2013 – December 29, 2013) Wichita Art Museum in Wichita, Kansas (February 1, 2014 – May 11, 2014) C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana (May 31, 2014 – Sept. 14, 2014) Mennello Museum of American Art in Orlando, Florida (October 4, 2014 – January 1, 2015) Reynolda House Museum of American Art in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (February 13, 2015 – May 3, 2015) Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, Texas (May 30, 2015 – August 30, 2015)CreditGeorge Catlin’s American Buffalo is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum in collaboration with the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Generous support for the exhibition has been provided by Mary Anne and Richard W. Cree, and Lynn and Foster Friess. Additional support for the exhibition and the publication was provided by the William R. Kenan Jr. Endowment Fund and the Smithsonian Council for American Art. Support for Treasures to Go, the Museum’s traveling exhibition program, comes from The C.F. Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia. Book tickets